Ramechhap, November 2 Locals of Khadadevi Rural Municipality, who had long been reeling under water shortage, have heaved a sigh of relief with successful test operation of a drinking water project at Khadadevi Rural Municipality in Ramechhap. The drinking water project constructed at the initiative of Division Drinking  Water Office aims to supply drinking water to wards 3, 4, and 5 of the  rural municipality. Secretary Bhakta Bahadur  Shrestha of the consumer committee said water was supplied temporarily before Dashain as taps have yet to be installed in houses. Drinking water would regularly be supplied to households in the aforementioned wards of the municipality after  taps are installed in houses. Parbati  BK, a local, said she was very excited as the prolonged drinking water crisis  was resolved. She said she would not have to wait for hours at public tap to fetch water now. The locals had been facing acute shortage of  drinking water since 2015 after the earthquakes. Earlier, the locals were  compelled to purchase water even for construction works. They paid  two rupees per litre for water brought by tanker from Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi. The locals said the drinking water project had ended their water woes for good. They added  that the pumping water project had brought happiness among the  villagers.